1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to tube fishing and more particularly to reversible fins for moving a fisherman forwardly or rearwardly in water.
Tube fisherman utilize chest high wadding boots and sit in a strap or fabric cradle supported by a pneumatic tube of sufficient buoyancy to support the fisherman adjacent the surface of a body of water. While fishing, wind often moves the fisherman toward or away from a spot where fish are biting. It is highly desirable to provide a pair of fins which may be attached to the footwear of a fisherman and be reversed, while in the water, for moving the fisherman toward or away from a spot where fish are biting. This invention provides such an apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Foot fins have been used for many years by swimmers or scuba divers for propelling themselves through the water and usually comprise a wide fin of flexible material which extends forwardly from the user's foot so a swimming action creates a forward force for moving the swimmer or diver. However, when such a fin is used by a person vertically positioned in the water, as when tube fishing, forward and rearward movement of the fin causes the fisherman to be moved backward rather than forward. Such motion is undesirable in tube fishing since the fisherman cannot be sure where he is moving too.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,639 issued May 12, 1987 to Schneider for TUBE FISHERMAN'S FOOT FIN discloses an elongated fin formed from resilient material having one end portion attached to the toe end of a shoe sole so that forward movement of the foot positions the fin adjacent the shoe sole and offers little resistance to forward movement through the water. Rearward movement of foot and shoe results in maximum resistance to the water thereby propelling the fisherman forwardly through the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,276,082 issued Mar. 10, 1942 to Meyers for BOOT BOAT and U.S. Pat. No. 3,432,868 issued Mar. 18, 1969 to Lowery for FLOAT-EQUIPPED WADING BOOTS WITH PROPELLING FINS are good examples of the further state-of-the-art. Both of these patents disclose fin members attached vertically to the outer surface of a user's wading boot so that in forward movement of the leg the fin is collapsed toward the leg and offers little resistance to forward movement of the leg in water but upon rearward movement of the leg the fin opens in pocket like fashion to resist movement rearwardly in the water, thus, propelling the user forwardly. However, neither of the these patents or the Schneider patent disclose or provide means for reversing the water resisting action of the fins, while the user remains in the water, in order to propel a user in a forward or backward direction which is accomplished by this invention.